Separable rim



Ebb.. 7; W@ J. HABEN 4992.56

SEPARABLE RIM Filed. March 9, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY ATTORNEYS.

'Patented Feb. 7, 1950 SEPARABLE RIM Joseph Babin, Lutcher, La., assigner of one-third to Cecil E. Bassett, Baton Rouge, La.

Application March 9, 1948, Serial No. 13,834

This invention relates to vehicle wheels and is particularly concerned with vehicle wheels of the type which are adapted to cooperate with a removable tire.

More specifically, the invention is related to the type of vehicle wheel which comprises a cylindrical barrel portion onto which a tire may be teiescoped and a iiange which may be secured to the barrel in a position to retain the tire as against axial movement thereon.

Still more specifically, the invention is concerned with the construction of such a barrel and flange and the mechanism by which the flange is attached and removed from the barrel.

A general object of the invention is to simplify the installation and removal of tires on vehicle wheels.

A more specific object of the invention ls to simplify the removal and replacement of a tireretaining flange,

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple mechanism for securing a tire-retaining flange to the barrel of a vehicle wheel.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for securing a tire-retaining flange to a vehicle wheel.

In addition, the invention contemplates a tireretaining liange which may be attached or released by the manipulation of a single locking element.

A further object of the invention is to maintain a pneumatic tire in position on the Wheel. even after a blowout.

I-Iow the foregoing and other objects are attained will be more clearly understood upon reference to the description which follows hereinbelow and the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric projection of a vehicle wheel constructed in accordance with the inven tion, with portions of the mechanism broken away;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the vehicle wheel of Figure 1 on a somewhat smaller scale;

Figure 3 is a sectional View of a portion of the wheel as shown in Figure 2, taken along the line 3--3 in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the mechanism taken along the line li-li in Figure 3.

As may be seen in Figure 2, the wheel of the invention comprises a hub It and wheel body II (both of which may he of conventional construction), a tire-supporting barrel I2 (see Figure l) and a removable tire-retaining flange I3.

A fixed tire-retaining flange I 4 is formed at one end of barrel I2. and at the other end the 4 Claims. (Cl. 152-412) diameter of the barrel is reduced as indicated at i5. The reduced portion I5 of barrel l2 is splined as at IE5, and is also provided with a circumferen tial slot Il which intersects splines iii. I8 is mounted for circumferential movement in slot I'i and is provided with projection le, whose circumferential dimension is comparable to the circumferential dimension of a spline l.

A portion cf the inner surface 2t of ring i8 is provided with teeth 2l. As may most clearly be seen in Figure 4,. the teeth 2l are in constant mesh with the teeth 22 of a pinion 23, which pinion is mounted for rotation on a shaft it.

Shaft 2t, as may best be seen Figure 3, is `iournalled in a housing 25 carried by the inner surface of vloarrel I2. A spring 25, which abuts at one end against housing 25 and at the other against a shoulder 2l of shaft 2t, urges shaft 2t against plate 28, which closes housing 25 at its outer end. Shank Sii of shaft Eil extends through an aperture 29 in plate .28 and terminates in a hexagonal tting 3l which is adapted to be engaged by a standard tire wrench such as 32. Plate 28 is sealed to housing 25 by means of a gasket 33 and secured to the housing by means of cap screws 34.

It will be seen, therefore, that under normal conditions, shaft 2li is urged against gasket 33,

sealing aperture 29. However, the axial pressureV on the shaft, incident to the application of a wrench to iitting 3i, is suhicient to compress spring 26 slightly and thus reduce the friction between shaft 24 and gasket 33.

It should also he pointed out that the engagement between shaft 2t and gasket 33 is suiiicient to prevent rotation of the shaft under ordinary conditions of use, andthat when a tire is inflated on the wheel, the axial pressure transmitted through the locking elements will prevent creeping of ring I8.

As will be apparent, particularly from Figure 1, rotation of. pinion 23 will effect circumferential movementof ring I3, as a result of which the projections IS may be shifted from a locked` position, as indicated in Figure 1, to a feathered" position, in which projections aligned with splines i6.

Removable iiange I3 includes a cylindrical portion, generally indicated at t5, which is internally splined as at 36 in a manner to engage the splines I6 of barrel I2. The internal surfaces of splines 36 are ntersected by transverse slots 3l or crosssection sufficient to receive projections I9 of ring I8.

Cylindrical portion 35 of flange I3 may be ax- I A ring" I9 are axiallyially slid into telescopic engagement with reduced portion I5 of barrel I2 until the end 38 of cylindrical portion 35 abuts against shoulder 39 of barrel I2, in which relative position of the barrel and iiange slots 3l are in alignment with slot Il.

It will be clear that relative circumferential displacement between barrel I2 and separable flange I3 is prevented by splines I8 and 3G, and it will also be clear that relative axial movement between the ange and barrel can readily occur when projections I9 are in the feathered position. However, after the flange has been positioned on the barrel, ring I8 and projections I9 may be moved to the locked position, at which time projections i9 will engage slots 3? in splines 3B. Relative axial movement of members I2 and I3 will now be prevented, since the proximate surface 38 of the proximate portion 35-a of spline 38 abuts shoulder 39 of barrel I2, and the distal surface of the proximate portion :i5-a of spline 3B abuts the distal surface of projection I9 of ring I8, the term proximate being used to identify surfaces on one member disposed toward the other member, and the term distal being applied to surfaces on one member facing away from the other member.

Shifting of ring I8 is readily accomplished by the application of a tire wrench such as 32 to fitting 3|, followed by rotation thereof. It will be seen, therefore, that by the manipulation of a single element, namely, fitting 3 I, ange I3 may be securely locked to barrel I2 and that it may be as simply removed.

In order to seal the locking mechanism against the entry of dirt and water, I have provided a gasket 40 which is adapted to overlie the joint between barrel I2 and flange I3. Gasket 40 is retained in its position by a ring 4I which, in turn, is retained in its position by frictional engagement with the surface d2 of flange I3,

It should be pointed out that the teeth 2| extend along the interior surface of ring I8 for a distance just sufficient to provide for shifting ring I8 from a, fully feathered position to a fully locked position. Accordingly, guesswork as to the position of the ring I 8 is eliminated, since rotation of the pinion 23 until the end of the toothed portion of ring I8 is reached will locate the ring in either the fully feathered or fully locked position. In addition, locking is always associated with one direction of rotation of fitting 3l and feathering with the other. In the organization illustrated in Figure 1, it will be seen that clockwise rotation of fitting 3| will feather the locking mechanism, and that the mechanism is locked upon counter-clockwise rotation of fitting 3 I.

Thus, according to the invention, a tire may be mounted or removed by performing the follow. ing steps: rotating tting 3I and thereby effecting feathering of the locking mechanism; removing separable flange I3; removing or mounting the tire; replacing fiange I3; and locking thek flange to the barrel by an opposite rotation of tting 3 I.

I claim:

1. A vehicle wheel comprising aA cylindrical barrel and a tire-retaining member axially separable therefrom, said member being characterized by a cylindrical surface adapted to sldingly engage a complementary cylindrical surface on the barrel and by a protuberance projecting radially from said first surface adjacent an end thereof, an annular slot in said second surface, a ring CJI circumferentially movable in said slot, a radial projection on said ring adapted to engage the surface of said protuberance opposite said end, and mechanism for shifting said ring circumferentially to effect such engagement.

2. A vehicle wheel comprising a tire-supporting barrel, an annular tire-retaining ange at one end of the barrel, a cylindrical splined surface at the other end of the barrel, an annular slot in said spiined surface, a circumferentially movable ring in said slot, projections on said ring of circumferential dimension comparable to the circumferential dimension of the splines, a separable tire-retaining fiange having a second splined cylindrical surface adapted to telescopically engage said first surface, a shoulder on one of said separable members for limiting telescopic engagement with the other, a second annular slot in said second surface intersecting the splines thereof and adapted to be aligned with said first siot upon telescopic engagement of said members, and mechanism for circumferentialiy shifting said ring to and from a position in which the projections thereon engage said second slot in the the area of intersection ofthe splines on said separable ange by said second slot.

3. A construction in accordance with claim 2 and further including teeth on said ring, a pinion in engagement with said teeth and means for rotating said pinion to effect circumferential movement of said ring.

4. A vehicle wheel comprising a cylindrical barrel adapted to support a tire, one end of said cylinder comprising an externally splined cylindrical surface of reducedY diameter relative to the tire-supporting portion of saidbarrel, an annular slot in said surface intersecting said splines, a circumferentially movable ring in said slot having raised portions thereon of spacing and dimensions comparable to the spacing and circumferential dimensions of the splines, teeth on the radially internal surface of said ring, a pinion in engagement with said teeth; and a removabler tire-retaining iiange having a cylindrical internally splined` surface adapted to tel'escopically engage said rst surface, an annuiar slot intersecting the splines of said secondsurface, and a stop for limiting telescopic movement of said barrel andsaid separable flange to a degree of engagement bringing said two slots into alignment, whereby.circumferential movement of said ring shifts the projections`- thereon into the slots in-Y tersecting the splines on said second surface.

JOSEPH BABIN.

REFERENCES CITED The foilowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 877,726 Nordiund Jan. 28, 1908 1,180,724 Johnstonv Apr. 25, 1916 1,373,009 Kunert Mar.` 29, 1921 1,389,496 Fak Aug.. 30, 1921 1,406,920 Boienbaugh et al. Feb. 14, 1922 1,433,179 Howell Oct. 24, 1922 1,520,810 Copithorn Dec. 30, 1924 1,837,574 Mulhern et al Dec. 22, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 233,673 Great Britain 1925 

